Cadillac Town Car

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1942 Cadillac Series 60 Special Town Car by Derham

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Phoenix, Arizona | January 28-29, 2016

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

At first glance, this car screams “owned by the head of a movie studio but never actually driven by that person.” Taking a step back and thinking about the larger story of the time, we see that America had just been attacked and that this was one of the final new cars built by Detroit prior to the war.

In fact, this car is one of just two Derham-bodied Town Cars on Cadillac’s Series 60 Special chassis for 1942. The engine is a 150 horsepower 5.7-liter V-8. The car started life as a Series 60 Special Imperial Sedan (which was a mid-range Caddy for ’42) and then it was shipped to Derham in Pennsylvania to be converted to this chauffeur’s machine you see here.

It was delivered new to someone in New York and the present owner acquired it in 1974 and restored it. It’s a fairly unique machine in that most Cadillacs were bodied in-house by this point – and most Post-War Cadillacs were too, making this the last of its kind. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $79,750.

’70 Hemi Cuda Convertible

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1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 15-24, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The 1970-1971 Plymouth ‘Cudas are the best muscle cars. Yeah, that’s sort of a sweeping statement (and entirely opinion)… but it’s true. We’ve featured a 1970 Hemi ‘Cuda and a ’71 Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible (and a ’70 ‘Cuda Convertible that is supposed to look like a Hemi), but never a ’70 Hemi ‘Cuda Convertible. Which is what this car is.

Hemi ‘Cuda Convertibles are among the rarest of muscle cars: only 11 were built in 1971 and only 14 were built in 1970. That Hemi is a 7.0-liter V-8 rated at 425 horsepower. This car is one of five (of the 14) equipped with a four-speed manual transmission. On top of that, this car is loaded with options and was sold new in British Columbia.

It came back to the U.S. in 1999 and was restored. It’s covered a little over 27,000 miles in its life. Offered in factory-correct Lemon Twist paint, this car will easily break the million dollar mark. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Florida.

Update: Sold $2,675,000.

Talbot-Lago Worblaufen Cabriolet

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1947 Talbot-Lago T-26 Cabriolet by Worblaufen

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona |  January 23-31, 2016

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

Talbot-Lago, which came into existence in 1935 when the French Talbot was reorganized by Tony Lago, became of of the biggest French names in pre-and-post-war luxury automobiles. Also, most of their cars are gorgeous – including this one. Don’t you think?

The T-26 (which is also referred to as the Record Type 26) is powered by a 4.5-liter straight-six making 170 horsepower. Most of these cars were sedans, but a few were sent out to coachbuilders.

Only three T-26s were bodied by Carrosserie Worblaufen of Bern, Switzerland. This one has been completely restored is being offered for sale for the first time in almost a quarter century. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $715,000.

Aston Martin Virage

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2012 Aston Martin Virage

Offered by Mecum | Austin, Texas | December 11-12, 2015

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The original Aston Martin Virage was introduced for the 1989 model year. It was a boxy thing that was produced in very limited numbers up through the 2000 model year. For most of that time, the car was unavailable in the U.S. But Aston revived the name in 2011 for a new model.

You might be thinking “that looks just like the DB9/Vantage/DBS/every other Aston currently on sale” – and you’re right. In fact, this car was supposed to slot in between the DB9 and the DBS. It is powered by a 6.0-liter V-12 making 490 horsepower.

But in the end, it didn’t work. It blurred the lines between the other models and Aston Martin killed it off after only 18 months on sale – which makes this one of the rarest modern Aston Martin production cars, with just over 1,000 units produced in two model years of production. This car has an automatic transmission and about 7,000 miles. Everyone will assume they know what it is, but hardly anyone will be right. So if you want something interesting, here you go. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Austin.

Update: Sold $97,500.

Siata 208S

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1954 Siata 208S Spider by Motto

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | New York, New York | December 10, 2015

Photo - RM Sotheby's

Photo – RM Sotheby’s

Siata began life in Turn in 1926 when Giorgio Ambrosini began selling aftermarket performance bits for Fiats (so yes, there was a tuner scene in the 1920s). The company’s first original model was introduced in 1948 and they continued to build cars up through 1970. This is their finest work.

Sure, it may look a little AC Ace-ish but they were contemporaries from different parts of Europe. The 208S was produced in 1953 and 1954 only. It is powered by a 125 horsepower 2.0-liter alloy V-8 engine from Fiat (the famous “8V’ engine).

Only 56 examples of the 208S were built and this is the final of 33 Motto Spiders. This car has known ownership since 1956 and has been the recipient of two restorations, the most recent of which occurred in 2011. Since then it has appeared at some major Concours shows around the world (Pebble Beach, Kuwait, Villa d’Este), taking awards home in the process. It could be the nicest example anywhere. And it can be yours for between $1,500,000-$1,900,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of RM’s New York lineup.

Update: Sold $1,650,000.

Saleen S7

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2003 Saleen S7

Offered by Barrett-Jackson | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 30, 2016

Photo - Barrett-Jackson

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

The Saleen S7 was America’s home-grown supercar that debuted in 2000 and was built up through 2006 (for the base model. There was a Twin Turbo built from 2005 through 2009). Steve Saleen made his name tuning Mustangs and turned to building his own supercar at the end of the supercar-crazy 1990s. This thing definitely looks the part.

The powerplant is a mid-mounted 7.0-liter Ford V-8. This car is equipped with the “Competition Package” – one of four such naturally aspirated cars. In this trim, the engine puts out 625 horsepower (75 more than stock).

The auction catalog states that only 78 of these were built but it isn’t clear if that number represents all S7 production, or just the naturally aspirated cars. At any rate, they are rare (but they do come up for sale here and there). When new, the Twin Turbos cost over a half million dollars. This car should go for somewhere in the $300,000 range. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $451,000.

The Corphibian

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1961 Chevrolet Corphibian Prototype

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 15-24, 2016

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

The Chevrolet Corvair was a revolutionary rear-engined, rear-wheel drive car introduced by General Motors for the 1960 model year. It was available as a convertible, coupe, sedan, wagon… and van and pickup truck. Called the Greenbriar, the van was built between 1961 and 1965. The Rampside was the very non-traditional pickup that one loaded from the side.

This thing is based on the Rampside pickup. It is powered by a 2.4-liter flat-six making 80 horsepower. The engine is located under the bed in the back. But what is unusual about this Corvair is that it is amphibious. That’s right, it is for both land and sea.

While I’m not really sure why, Chevrolet enlisted the help of the Hulten-Holm Company of Pontiac, Michigan, to assist them in building this fully-functional amphibious prototype truck-boat. The hull is fiberglass and it has only covered 157 miles (presumably on land). But it has been in the water, as photos exist of it there. The paint is fresh but the wheels and tires are original. It’s pretty incredible and extremely rare (obviously, there was only ever one built). Your guess on price is as good as mine. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum.

Update: Sold $70,000.

Lagonda Rapide

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1963 Lagonda Rapide

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 6, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Lagonda was an automobile marque that was founded in 1906 by Wilbur Gunn and acquired by Aston Martin in 1947. It disappeared after 1958 and then re-appeared in 1961 for this four-door sedan called the Rapide. The model lasted through 1964 and the marque disappeared again. The name was then used on a few Aston Martin models up through the the 1980s. It appeared as a marque again in 2014.

This very British-looking sedan is powered by a 4.2-liter straight-six while the original engine was a 4.0-liter straight-six making 236 horsepower. This one was enlarged during restoration. The chassis is a stretched version of the one used under the Aston DB4. The body is aluminium and was designed by Touring.

These cars cost 25% more than a contemporary Aston Martin DB4. Perhaps this incredible price is why a mere 55 of these were built. Aston Martin bought this example at a Bonhams auction in 2010 and restored it themselves – so you really aren’t going to find one in better shape. It should bring between $530,000-$610,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Maserati Mistral Spyder

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1966 Maserati Mistral Spyder by Frua

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 6, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Mistral was a grand tourer built by Maserati between 1963 and 1970. It was Maserati’s true two-seater for the period. The convertible Spyder model was introduced in 1964 (and also lasted through 1970).

Three different engines were offered in this car. This car has the smallest, a 3.5-liter straight-six making 235 horsepower (only 20 less than the largest, 4.0-liter engine). This car is thought to be one of the cars shown at the 1966 Turin Motor Show.

The restoration on this car dates back to the mid-1990s with significant work having been completed in 2012. It has covered 88,000 miles in its life. This car has a removable hardtop and is one of 125 Spyders built. Only 12 Spyders were fitted with the 3.5-liter engine and only 20 Spyders were right hand drive, like this car. It should sell for between $610,000-$760,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold for an undisclosed amount.

TVR Tamora

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2002 TVR Tamora

Offered by H&H Classics | Chateau Impney, U.K. | December 9, 2015

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Over the past 20 years, there is likely not an automotive manufacturer that has built cars nearly as wild and eccentric as TVR. Everything about their cars is funky. They were only available in Europe, their styling is unlike most other cars, and they were quick sports cars whose values have fallen into the affordable exotic range.

What we have here is a Tamora. This model was a convertible offered by TVR between 2002 and 2006 – so it was built right up to when TVR ceased production. It was the entry-level TVR, priced in the $40,000-$55,000 range.

The engine is a 3.6-liter straight-six, or the “Speed Six” engine, making 350 horsepower. Top speed is around 170 mph – but be careful as there is no traction control, ABS, or airbags. The coupe version was the T350. Only about 356 of these were built and this one should go for between $25,000 and $28,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of H&H’s lineup.

Update: Sold $27,932.